Delivering Effective Stormwater Education to Diverse Communities
StormFest is a hands-on, one-day, outdoor stormwater and watershed science education program for middle school students in the City of Burien. The program was developed to teach students what stormwater is, how it harms water quality and habitats, and how to manage stormwater to protect fish and wildlife. Students are asked to adopt a personal action to reduce harm from stormwater within six months of attending Stormfest. The education program is multi-faceted, incorporating science, English, and art and meets educational science standards. StormFest activities incorporate Spanish-language stations, and the program uses interpreters and educators that represent the student population it serves. Program evaluations document consistent learning across gender, race, and English language proficiency.
What worked:
- A total of 55% of the students successfully completed their personal goal to change their behavior in a way that would reduce pollution in stormwater.
- Providing language interpreters allowed students to engage and learn more easily.
- Students demonstrated positive learning outcomes independent of gender, race, and English language proficiency.
Benefits:
- Educating middle-school students about stormwater builds stewardship of Puget Sound.
Location:
- Congressional District: 9
- Legislative District: 33, 34
- WRIA: 12
- County: King
Partnerships:
- City of Burien
- City of Des Moines
- City of Normandy Park
- City of SeaTac
- King County
- Highline School District
- Enviroissues
- Futurewise
Project Funding:
- Washington State Department of Ecology
- Port of Seattle